Harvest Moon: Subtle as an Echo
by LittleMissWolfie
Summary: Rachel: an eighteen-year-old girl who has just moved to Echo Village to become a farmer. Neil: an animal trader with a gruff exterior. While it may seem like they have nothing in common, they are, in fact, engaged! In order to save her family's farm, Rachel agreed to marry Neil, whose father has a lot of money. Will they survive their new life? Part of my Harvest Moon series.
1. Prologue: A Childhood Memory

**Prologue: A Childhood Memory**

_Rachel P.O.V._

I'll always remember the way Momma cried when Mayor Thomas told us the news that day. I was only four, but that kind of stuff leaves quite the impression on you.

"I'm sorry," he'd said, "but Mineral Town is running out of money. Unless we have a drastic increase in revenue, Rainfall Farm may have to be shut down."

Momma started crying then, and Daddy looked about to, but he'd never do that in front of me and Mark. He was trying real hard to be brave that day.

That night, after me and Mark were tucked in, I heard Momma and Daddy get up and go to the living room. I slipped out of bed and tip-toed to the door slowly, so I wouldn't wake Mark, so I could listen to what they were saying.

"—don't think it's fair to decide anything for her," Daddy was saying. "I think we should wait until she's at lease sixteen to even think about that."

"What will we do until then?" Momma demanded angrily, pacing. I knew she wasn't angry at Daddy; she was angry at herself, for not making enough money. Daddy's job at the winery didn't have much pay, but he wasn't too good at farm work and wanted to contribute somehow. Momma never blamed Daddy for anything, but blamed herself instead. It made me upset. "There's no way we'll survive another twelve years on what we're making right now! And I'd hate to ask Jack and Jill for money…"

"Claire…" Daddy said. I could tell he was close to tears.

Momma took a shaky breath. "Cliff…I love you, and the kids…but I can't lose this farm. This is where I want them to grow up, and where I want us to live, until the day we die. This is home, and nothing else will do. I'm sorry for being so selfish." And then she started sobbing.

Daddy drew her into his arms and rocked her slowly, like he did with me when I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep. "I…I'll call Ethan tomorrow. Maybe we can explain the situation to him."

"I'm sure he'll understand," Momma said between sobs. "After all, he's such a kind man. And Neil's a little sweetheart."

"Yeah, he is."

I went back to bed after that.

A few days later, a man about Momma's age and a boy a few years older than me came to the farm. I was playing fetch with our dog, Buster, when they came up the road, both pulling a horse. "Are you Rachel?" the man asked, and I nodded. "Are your parents around?"

"Momma's makin' lunch," I said, stroking Buster nervously from where I sat in the shade of a tree. "I can get 'er for ya if ya want."

He chuckled and ruffled my long, blonde hair that was so much like Momma's. "No, it's alright. I've been here before, when you were really little. I know my way around the place." He turned to the boy, who was standing silently behind him. "Neil, you stay here and keep Rachel company. You can hitch Lily and Dominic to that post over there." With that, he strode towards our house.

The boy—Neil—did as the man asked before he came to stand beside me. He said nothing, instead opting to watch as I played with Buster. He had blond hair, too, but his was darker than mine, and short and messy. He was wearing a red coat and black pants, which I thought was completely ridiculous in the summer heat. "Do ya wanna take yer coat off?" I asked.

"I'm okay," he replied stiffly.

"How old are you?"

"Seven."

"I'm four."

"That makes me three years older than you," he said, a hint of a smile in his voice.

I patted the grass next to me. "Wanna sit? Ya can play with me an' Buster, too!"

"Okay."

We sat there, played with Buster, and talked for a while. He was real quiet, but when he did talk, he was pretty nice. His voice was nice, too. I liked it a lot better than Mark's.

Before I knew it, it was starting to get dark. The man came back out of the house, and Neil stood ramrod straight when he saw him. "Hi, Dad," said Neil in a monotone, so different from the way we'd been talking moments before.

"Did you have a good time talking to Rachel, Neil?" the man asked. When Neil nodded, he continued, "Great!" He clapped a hand on his son's shoulder and turned his gaze to me. "Your mother wants you inside now, Rachel. We won't be able to visit for a while, but I hope you don't forget us. So long!"

"B-Bye, Neil!" I called as they began to walk away. "I'll miss you!"

Even from a distance, I saw his ears turn red. He turned slightly and gave a small wave. "Goodbye, Rachel. See you again?"

"Promise!"


	2. Chapter 1: Worry

**Chapter One: Worry**

_Rachel P.O.V._

It had been a season since I started living in Echo Village when I got the news.

I was gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles were white. Neil was still sitting at the dinner table, staring intently at the spaghetti. This was how dinner usually went, I guess—both of us completely focused on our food and avoiding looking at each other.

"Mark…" I gasped, making Neil look up. His eyes were an odd red color, but I liked them. Not that I'd ever tell him that. "Please tell me you're joking!"

Even over the phone, I could hear how tired my big brother was. "I-I'm not. She's just gone, Rachel! Chelsea's been trapped in the jungle!"

A tear slipped down my cheek. "Oh, Goddess!"

Neil came up behind me. "Rachel, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice softer than usual. On impulse I leaned back into him, emitting a small choking noise from him, but he stayed there.

"My cousin, Chelsea, was visiting my brother on his farm, and she got trapped in the jungle. There's a wild man in there, people say! The bridge is broken and Mark doesn't have enough money to pay for it to be fixed, so she's stuck there until the money's raised!"

Neil gently took the phone from my hands. "Hey Mark? Yeah, it's Neil. Rachel had a hard day today, so we'll call you back tomorrow. Thanks, man. Bye." He hung the phone up.

Neil wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me into my room. We still slept in different rooms, despite my mother's teasing. He was so kind sometimes, yet so mean at others. It always confused me, but right then I was thankful for the kind Neil. "I'll do dishes tonight," he said, "and I want you to sleep in tomorrow. I'll take care of the animals before I go to set up shop, so you just need to do the crops. I'll leave some eggs on the stove for you for breakfast. And…I'm sorry about your cousin. She'll be fine—all Saunders women are, right?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Neil."

He gave me one of his rare smiles. "You don't need to thank me." Then he ruffled my hair slightly and left my room.

* * *

_Rachel P.O.V_

Despite Neil's wishes, my internal clock woke me up at six, as usual. I slowly got out of bed and walked to my armoire in a dream-like state. I dressed robotically, brushed my hair robotically, and took care of my bathroom stuff robotically.

I managed to get into the kitchen before Neil had to leave, much to his surprise. He was walking on eggshells around me, something which both annoyed me and warmed my heart. I guessed he cared about me more than he said. He let me give him a quick squeeze around the middle before he set off to set his animal shop up. "I'll tell the villagers not to bug you about it, so be strong, okay?" Those were his parting words. Much to my surprise, his lips gently touched my forehead before he set off.

Okay, our living situation was quite unique. Just before my eighteenth birthday, my parents reminded me of the little boy I'd played with so many years ago. They told me that they'd made an agreement with his father, a wealthy land-owner, that I would marry Neil and produce a "strong heir" to his animal dealing company in exchange for the funds to keep my family farm running. While at first I had been quite opposed to it, I remembered how nice Neil was back then, and I agreed.

The Spring after that, I moved to Echo Village. The house on the farm was moderately sized with two bedrooms. I was happy that, while we were engaged, Neil and I weren't expected to sleep together just yet. Neil moved in with me about a week after that, and he was a bit distant. Over the season we'd grown closer, and I was kind of surprised to find that I'd grown feelings for him.

Not that I could admit it.

After all of the weeks of carefully cultivating a friendship with Neil, how could I jeopardize our relationship by trying to complicate it? No, it was out of the question. As were many other things.

Try to understand my dilemma: I was married, so I couldn't date, but I had never even cuddled with my husband. When I asked Momma about it, she said, "Patience is a virtue. Goddess knows how patient I had to be with your father. He'll come around."

I was starting to get tired of waiting, though. And now Chelsea, arguably my favorite cousin, was missing. I could only imagine what Aunt Jill and Uncle Skye were going through—she was their only child! I sighed at myself and went outside to get to work.

_Neil P.O.V_

As I set up my animal shop, my mind spun. One of Rachel's cousins—missing? I could hardly believe it. All the stories about Chelsea I'd heard portrayed her as a sickly girl, a girl who hardly left her house, and took a great leap of faith by going to college all by herself. The fact that she was trapped in a jungle with a wild man running loose worried me, even if I didn't know her. I knew Rachel, and that was all I needed. Even if it wasn't exactly traditional, I was now part of the Saunders family, so Chelsea was part of my family. I prayed to the Goddess she was alright.

**So, yeah, a lot of internal thought in this chapter. So far, Rachel and Neil's relationship is purely platonic, but we all know that won't be the case for very long. Just assume for the moment that anyone than _can_ be in town _is_, and everyone knows about the arrangement.**

**On another note: I am thinking about making lemons for this! I'm not very experienced with lemons, though, so they might not be too good. I'll put up another poll (polls galore!) asking whether I should include them in the actual stories or make another story altogether.**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 2: Realization

**Chapter Two: Realization**

_Rachel P.O.V_

I made my way through work in a daze, trying not to think too hard. When I was done with my animals and crops, I went through my daily rounds with the villagers. I especially liked talking to Hana, the elderly woman who ran the general store. She liked to talk about her husband, Kosaburo, who loved to fish. She said he'd be back within a year. I was quite eager to meet him.

Around lunch time, I made my way to the square to give Neil his lunch. He'd forgotten it at the house that morning, which was unusual for him. As I approached the two stalls, Rod noticed me and beamed.

Rod was one of Neil's friends, and, as such, I was pretty close to him as well. He was like another brother, one to take Mark's place when we were separated. "Hey, Rach!" he called loudly, waving wildly like a child. "You don't come to visit us during work very often!"

"_Someone,_" she said, shooting Neil a playful glance, "forgot his lunch at home today."

He looked puzzled for a moment before he gave me the soft smile I so rarely extracted from him. As I moved behind his counter to hand him the box lunch, he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me closer, and gave me a peck on the forehead, making my face burn. _What the hell?_ "Thanks, Rachel," he said softly, tracing circles in the skin of my cheeks.

"N-n-no problem!" I stuttered. He was _never_ affectionate, especially in public—especially around someone as immature as _Rod_!

Speaking of Rod…

"Get some, Neil!" the cheery red-head catcalled, giving a fistpump as emphasis.

Neil flipped him the bird but otherwise didn't acknowledge him. I giggled slightly into his shoulder before I extracted myself from his grip. He held on to my hand for a bit longer before relinquishing his hold. "I'll try to be home early tonight. What were you planning for supper?"

"I was jus' gonna to make some stew, if that's alright."

A small smile crossed his face again. "Sounds perfect. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Neil. Bye, Rod!" I called a little louder to the other male before I raced off once again.

* * *

_Neil P.O.V_

When he was sure Rachel was out of earshot, Rod opened his mouth again. "What was _that_?" he asked, hands on his hips as he stared at me.

"What was what?" I shot back, opening my lunch. I smiled at what I saw—Shrimp Chili.

"You!" Rod interjected, waving his hands about wildly like a child. "Being all lovey-dovey with Rachel! That is _not_ normal!"

"So it's weird for me to want to hug my wife when she brings me lunch?"

Rod groaned and clutched at his hair. "Not like _that,_ man! You know what I mean! The words 'Neil' and 'cuddly' should _not_ be in the same sentence unless you're talking about how Neil will _never_ be cuddly!"

I shot him a look and began to eat.

* * *

_Rachel P.O.V_

As always, I napped in the pasture while my cows and sheep grazed that afternoon. I'd always enjoyed an afternoon nap, and now that I was my own boss, why not? I was awoken early, however, by a young man's voice.

"E-excuse me, Miss," the voice said in a high-pitched voice—well, high-pitched for a guy, at least. "Do you know where Neil Moore is?"

I sat slowly and stretched my arms languidly before I looked at him, shielding my eyes from the sun. He was relatively short for a guy his age—I assumed it to be around eighteen, like myself—and had dark brown hair. It was slicked back for some ridiculous reason, and I could see the sweat on his neck, probably because of the long cotton pants and sweater vest he was wearing. "Neil ain't home yet, but he said he'd be home early today. Whattaya need? I could probably answer a question."

His pale face flushed, and I internally scoffed. _City slicker._ "Uh, I'm here about a job offer…"

"What? Neil don't need no help with that little stand!"

"He said it was for a f-farm…"

At that moment, Neil came walking down the path. I shot to my feet and marched over to him. "Neil Moore, did you hire somebody t' help me out without tellin' me _first?_"

He held his hands up in a defensive position, a playful glint in his eye. "Hey, I was just worried about you. Dunhill's been running you into the ground with all this town renovation crap, and you can't do it all yourself. Don't think I don't know about your afternoon naps, too. You need a farmhand."

Behind us, the boy squeaked. "H-h-h-hello, M-Mr. Moore!" he nearly yelled, rushing to us and bowing. "M-my name is H-Henry Williams! I-i-it's a p-p-pleasure to m-meet you!"

Neil chuckled and put a firm hand on Henry's shoulder. "None of that 'Mr. Moore' crap, Henry. Call me Neil. Besides," he said, giving me a playful glace, "you won't be working for me."

I almost laughed at the stricken expression that crossed his child-like face. "W-w-why, M—Neil? D-did I do something to o-o-offend you?"

"No." I grinned and spun to face him. I'd already forgiven Neil. "You'll be working for me." I stuck out my hand in his direction. "I'm Rachel Saunders-Moore, at your service!"

* * *

_Neil P.O.V_

"Neil?"

I turned to Rachel, who'd just gotten done washing the dishes, from my seat at the table. "What's up?"

"Thanks."

I feigned ignorance, leaning back in my chair and folding my hands behind my head. "For what?"

She laughed and kicked one leg of the chair, sending me toppling to the floor. While I rubbed both my wounded pride and my wounded behind, she sat down on the floor across from me, a soft but serious smile on her face. "For today. I thought you were actin' weird, and I figured out why. You were tryin' t' distract me from Chelsea, weren't you?"

"Yeah," I said sheepishly, flushing. _Dammit,_ I thought, _she figured it out. It's so embarrassing!_

I was, however, roused from my thoughts when I felt a soft pressure on my cheek. My eyes flew open and saw Rachel drawing back onto her knees, face also flushed. _She just kissed my cheek!_ My face flamed even worse, and I heard her soft giggle. "Welp," she said, vaulting to her feet in one graceful movement, "I'm gonna go shower real quick afore bed. See you in the mornin', Neil." With that she skipped into the bathroom.

_Shit, _I thought, burying my face in the crook of my arm, a habit that formed while I was a child. _I'm in love with Rachel, aren't I?_

**Shitty chapter is shitty D':**

**Anyways, YES! Neil's in love, he's in love, he's in love with a wonderful girl! (Cookies to whoever gets that reference).**

**Also, lemons WILL be in these stories! The first one for this story will actually be coming up pretty quickly (as in, the next couple of chapters), but never fear! Those with innocent minds will be spared because I'll put a warning in an AN at the BEGINNING of the chapter.**

**Please review~**


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